A long time ago, in a preliminary round far, far away, the non-league minnows of Shildon took their first steps towards the FA Cup first round clash at the home of league football's oldest club.

Never dreaming his team of part-timers would be tackling Notts County at Meadow Lane this weekend, chairman Gordon Hampton made a pledge he would live to regret.

The man partly responsible for a modern day footballing fairytale had missed a hair appointment to attend Shildon's aforementioned preliminary round success. High on the emotion of victory, Hampton promised his mane would not be chopped until Shildon's cup run was cut short.

Yet that is just the start of the off-field story which has provided a comical backdrop to the serious business of the David versus Goliath clash. "After the first round draw my daughter suggested I dye my hair black and purple, the colours of Shildon and my company," explained the self-confessed Wolverhampton Wanderers fanatic. "I thought I'd give it a shot but when I arrived home with my new look the family dog didn't even recognise me and that's when the trouble started.

"I was attacked by my own pet and my glasses were broken - all in the name of Shildon. I dread to think what might happen if we make the second round."

Looking alarmingly like a cross between Alice Cooper and Henry Cooper, Hampton will take his place in the Meadow Lane directors' box sporting the distinguishing marks of FA Cup success.

Yet beneath the bruises and bravado lies genuine hope that one of North-East football's lesser lights can do the region proud against a Second Division side desperate to enjoy a cup run of its own.

"Notts County are a far better team than their league position suggests," admits manager Ray Gowan, the man who persuaded Hampton to revive the club's fortunes when Shildon looked set for extinction.

"I've been involved in the first round proper twice before with non-league clubs but Chesterfield and Doncaster were poor Fourth Division teams when I was with Spennymoor and Brandon respectively. County are a different kettle of fish altogether."

Gowan and Hampton go back a long way but Shildon provided the focus for two footballing friends to truly join forces.

"Ray got in touch with me two and a half years ago and asked me whether I could help the club financially," explained Gordon.

"We've never looked back and it's been a fairytale story ever since.

"We won promotion in the first season, won the (league) cup last year and we're still in every competition we entered at this stage of the current campaign." Gowan is justifiably proud of his team's five-pronged assault on honours but the FA Cup is one competition Shildon cannot win.

"We want to give a good account of ourselves at Notts County and we're going there to win" he adds.

"But we have an important Durham Challenge Cup tie on Wednesday and in two weeks it's the next round of the Vase.

"Playing Notts County in the FA Cup is nice but the Vase is the big one for us."

Boasting a near full-strength squad - former Evenwood youngster Adam Reid is his only major injury doubt - Gowan travels to the East Midlands brimful of giant-killing confidence.

"I got a great scouting report on them from my old pal Tommy Miller at Hartlepool and he's a bloke who knows his stuff," added Shildon's boss.

"We've spent all week tripping over reporters and camera crews and the club shop has recorded record profits.